Lately I've been worried that the olives in my martini just aren't enough. They're kinda old-fashioned, after all, and the jar says nothing about polyphenols or flavonoids.
So where am I supposed to get the essentials, like antioxidants and anthocyanins, without sacrificing alcohol content?
Acai berries to the rescue, distilled by a marketing-savvy visionary into hard liquor. The alcoholic answer to green tea is launching in Dallas under the brand name VeeV on Feb. 22, with a campaign focused on the drink's healthy ingredients. While not making any specific claims, they aren't exactly shy either, reminding us that acai berries are "the world's preeminent superfruit," and that people can "enjoy themselves while doing some good at the same time." (Isn't this how we justified tequila shots before class during college? Um, so I've heard)
It's tough to find any information on acai berries that doesn't quickly devolve into a breathless recounting of their nutritional benefits (ZOMG! Acai berries contain 57 percent more antioxidants than pomegranates!) Even if the berries are, as Oprah puts it, "one of the most powerful foods in the world," is there any reason to believe this liquor will confer health benefits on consumers?
Nutrients don't survive the distillation process unscathed. But that's OK. This is the land of health fads--someone tried the same tactic with quinoa vodka, too--and are we really prepared to argue with the all-knowing Oprah?
